Fun Fact #341 "You Otto Hear This"

 Fun Fact #341

You Otto hear this

After 14 years of research and development Nicolaus Otto had done it! He had created the first stable horizontal combustion engine (He made a vertical version that blew up previously). He had taken the liquid coal tar and found a way to layer it so it would be a controlled burn instead of an explosion. He could then alter the flow rate with a slider valve allowing him to control the speed of the engine with some delay and able to reach speeds from 3H.P. to 1,000 H.P.. Making it even cooler is the fact it was the first engine to use internal pistons and the spark plug had to be invented. 

 Today Otto Engines are seen as the grandfathers of modern engine design, and the original design is still made thanks to the original patents now being in the public domain. The Otto engine is extremely widespread thanks in large part to its ability to accept 62 different kinds of light fuels including: Wood, Hydrogen Gas, Ligron (Called “Heavy Naphtha” outside of the US), Gasoline, Kerosene, vegetable oil, and more. However fuels featuring heavier hydrocarbons such as diesel will destroy the engine if it lacks a Daimler Carburetor.